Ida Gibson was born in London, England, on October 1, 1906, the daughter of a master mariner, the second of three children. After the family moved to Liverpool, Ida trained as a teacher and taught young children in a school near the Liverpool docks. While on a holiday cruise to the Baltic she met a young American teacher, Robert Gibson, and a whirlwind romance followed which led to marriage in the 1930s and Ida’s move to the USA.

At the outbreak of World War II Ida became secretary to the British Naval Attache’ in Washington but moved to San Francisco after Pearl Harbor when Robert became responsible for the education of the Japanese Americans who had been interned — an act they always opposed.

After World War II, they spent time in Korea, before Robert was appointed Director of Education of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, during which time they lived on O`ahu, Guam, Chuuk, and Saipan before retiring to Waimanalo in 1965. Robert died in 1992 at the age of 93. Following his death Ida continued to live in Waimanalo until moving to Manoa Senior Care in 2004.

Having no children of her own, she took great interest in her British nephews and nieces with regular correspondence and visits before health rendered the journey too exhausting. Always known as their glamorous American Aunt, she plied them with food parcels and luxuries such as chocolate and cake mix during rationing after the war. She was an avid reader and loved discussions on any subject, and although she retained her British nationality she was a great supporter of the American way of life. She is survived by six nieces and nephews, all living in England, and their descendants.